Vinnie Paul, the founding member and drummer of Pantera, has died at the age of 54. A cause of death is not immediately known.

“The family requests you please respect their privacy during this time,” the band said.

Paul formed Pantera in the 1980s along with his brother “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.

In 1981, Paul founded Pantera with his brother Dimebag Darrell, vocalist Donnie Hart, guitarist Terry Glaze (who took over lead vocals in 1982), and bassist Tommy D. Bradford (who was replaced within a year by Rex Brown). Having started as a glam metal band, Pantera eventually sought a darker, heavier style, which led to the addition of vocalist Phil Anselmo in 1986.

Going forward, the band’s popularity began to soar, leading to a series of platinum albums, including 1990’s Cowboys from Hell, 1992’s Vulgar Display of Power, and 1994’s Far Beyond Driven, the latter of which went No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Their two subsequent follow-ups, 1996’s The Great Southern Trendkill and 2000’s Reinventing the Steel, both cracked the top five.

Following Pantera’s dissolution in 2003, Paul and Darrell formed Damageplan, releasing one album, New Found Power, which featured guest appearances by Zakk Wylde, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, and Slipknot’sCorey Taylor. Tragically, Darrell was shot dead during a Damageplan concert in 2004.

Two years later, Paul teamed up with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray and Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell as Hellyeah. The group released five studio albums and was reportedly working on a sixth last November.